


She Came from the Moon

by myluckhasrunup



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26251495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myluckhasrunup/pseuds/myluckhasrunup
Summary: Captain James T. Kirk has always believed in giving people second chances regardless of what those past mistakes may have been. And Lieutenant Susanna L. Warren is exactly the type of person who could use one after creating a rocky reputation aboard the U.S.S Luna. This is a story of adventure, second chances, and finding hope and love in a sometimes very cold galaxy.
Relationships: Spock (Star Trek)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Do It For Honor

### Episode One: Imagine the Unexpected

Captain Li of the U.S.S. Luna was in her quarters thoughtfully writing a letter of recommendation for newly promoted Lieutenant Warren when instead she should have been resting as the ship's doctor had instructed. Davies, the ship's chief medical officer, had offered Li a light sleeping aid earlier that evening, or so he claimed it was. However, even after consuming the mild drug, Li could only stare blankly at the dimly lit ceiling above her cot and occasionally allowed her gaze to drift to the wall that adorned her collection of eighteenth-century porcelains. But as her dark eyes continued to flutter across the ancient memorabilia, she was consumed by her thoughts of Lieutenant Warren. The Lieutenant was someone whom she had come to consider a close and dear friend through the past seven years aboard the Luna. But despite the Captain's disposition towards Warren, it was safe to say that more than half of the crew on the Luna despised the young woman.

When morning dawned on the Luna, Captain Li invited the Lieutenant to her quarters.

"Captain," the young Lieutenant politely nodded as she strode into the Captain's room wearing the signature uniform from Starfleet's operation division; an undeniably red tunic.

Causally sitting behind her computer console with her jet-black locks still draped behind her from the restless night, Li gestured at a chair in front of the table. "Please, sit," she said. "I have something I have to talk to you about."

"Yes, ma'am?" Warren gingerly sat, as if the chair was going to run away from beneath her. "What is it?"

"It isn't that bad," Li took note of the concern that filled Lieutenant Warren's emerald eyes.

"I doubt I'm being reprimanded for anything since it's usually Commander Hernandez's pleasure to do so," Warren joked with a coy smile, picking at the blonde bunch of hair tied behind the nape of her neck.

"Last night, I completed my letter of recommendation for you," Li straightened her back, tugging at the hem of her yellow tunic.

Warren shifted forward in her seat, giving the Captain a perplexed look. "Excuse me, ma'am?" she responded.

"There are several open positions on the Enterprise, one of those being in engineering-"

The Lieutenant quickly cut the Captain off, "-Excuse me, ma'am? What are you talking about?"

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life stuck here? Serving on the Luna?" Li showed Warren a grim frown. "It won't be long before Hernandez is in charge, and you know she has it out for you…"

"What do you mean?" Warren's arms suddenly dropped to her sides. "Are you being promoted or retiring or-"

Li lifted a palm to calm her panicking crewmate. "It isn't anything like that, yet," she said. "In a year or two, who knows what will happen. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life on the Luna either."

"I thought you were recommending Lieutenant Ito for the engineering position on the Enterprise?" Warren questioned.

"Ito asked for a letter of recommendation, but I never agreed to write one for him. He is still within his rights to apply for the position, but Susanna… I think this would be good for you."

"I don't want to leave the Luna, ma'am." Warren lowered her face to hide her pained expression. "There's no way the Enterprise is going to accept me anyway."

"I know Captain Kirk and I know you," the Captain's frown slipped away and she forced a smile for her long-time friend, "and I know that this could be a new beginning for you; a chance to prove yourself."

"I don't want to prove myself," Warren muttered, but it was loud enough for Li to hear.

"You may have been an idiot half the time I've known you, but the other half you've been the most intelligent and compassionate person I have ever met." Li reached across the computer console and gave Warren a hard pat on the shoulder. "I believe in giving people second chances, and this is yours, Lieutenant. You can offer the galaxy so much more; I know you can. Stop wasting your time; stop wasting your time here on the Luna."

"You put too much faith in me, Captain," Warren spoke and lifted her chin.

"And you need to put more faith in yourself," Li's smile became genuine as she gave Warren another pat. "The Enterprise is the best ship in the fleet. New crew, new adventures, a new life. If you can't do it for yourself then do it for me. Do it for an old friend."

"I'm sure the crew of the Luna would be happy to see me go," Warren somberly admitted. "Even after the Romulans… I feel like they just hate me now more than ever."

"I don't want to agree with you, but you're right Susanna," Li shrugged and rested back into her chair. "We both know you haven't made a good reputation for yourself here on the Luna."

"If I didn't know better, I'd feel like you're forcing me off of the Luna," Warren sarcastically chimed.

The pleasant grin melted from Li's pale face as she responded, "Susanna… I hope you don't truly feel that way because you know I wouldn't do that to you. The Enterprise still has access to all of your records; it isn't going to be easy there either. But these people don't know you, so maybe they can know the good in you."

"Do you honestly believe they will accept me?"

"You are a decorated Starfleet officer, Lieutenant," Li said this as she rose from her chair. "No one can deny that what you did was an impressive display in bravery, intelligence, and compassion. Past mistakes aside, you have proven your loyalty to Starfleet."

Warren stood from her chair with the Captain. "Anyone else would have done the same," she said.

"But they didn't and they couldn't." Li walked around the console and clasped onto Warren's shoulders. "Do not attempt to dampen your own achievements. No matter what anyone has to say about it, remember that you saved the Luna. Not only that, you saved my life."


	2. As the First Officer

"I cannot believe her half the time!" Scotty incoherently belted his frustrations as he barged into the doctor's office.

Bones, who had been helping to educate Spock on the medical needs of their recent alien guests, lifted a brow with a single wide eye. "You can't just barge into a doctor's office without prior notice, Mr. Scott. Can't you see I'm already busy enough dealing with our current guests? There's no end to the needs of these people; their entire immune systems could be compromised by a single flake of dust!"

"I need somebody to talk to! I just can't take it anymore!" Scotty pleaded.

Spock cupped his hands behind his back and tilted his head at his emotional crewmate. "What seems to be the problem, Mr. Scott?" he asked.

"It's Lieutenant Warren, I tell ye!" Scotty flapped his arms at the air and stared at Bones in a distressing manner. "Do ye have any scotch?"

"Only if you're off duty," Bones replied, making his way a small cabinet in the corner of the bright office.

"I'm on stress leave now!" Scotty answered, puttering behind the doctor. "That woman is a lunatic."

Spock's eyes followed the pair as Bones removed a clear bottle of alcohol and three short glasses from the cupboard. "Curious," said Spock, "there are no medical records on Lieutenant Warren that indicates a history or current predisposition towards mental illness."

"Aye," Scotty huffed. "That ain't what I mean. I caught her in the Jefferies tubes fusing circuits! She claimed she was attempting to improve inefficiencies and she had done the same on the Luna. I know far well her track record on the Luna to not allow her to mess around with my circuits!"

"The ship's circuits," Spock corrected.

Bones sat the three glasses and scotch onto his desk and peered between the two men. "Care to explain?" he asked.

"When Lieutenant Warren was still an Ensign aboard the U.S.S. Luna, she was temporarily suspended from duty for incorrectly fusing circuits causing a ship-wide power failure," Spock recalled the report verbatim. "In addition to the power failure, a small explosion was created as a result of her incorrect fusing. The explosion put her in a coma for two weeks, five days, and twenty-three hours and also resulted in the large vertical scar on her left brow."

"I say it's good you stopped her then," Bones spoke to Scotty, pouring a drink for the three of them.

Scotty vigorously nodded in response, "Aye."

Spock, yet to have finished with his explanation of the officer's behavior, continued, "To say the least, one can easily surmise she learned her lesson, Mr. Scott. She served on the Luna for five years thereafter as an engineer. One can assume she continued to fuse circuits in her time remaining aboard."

"Well, that is not even close to the half of it!" Scotty added, grabbing one of the full glasses. "She'll show up for duty whenever she wants; she's even failed to report twice already! And I've had little patience for how long it's taking her to learn the ship's schematics! I'd say she's nothing but a pretty face!"

Bones lifted his own glass, leaning back on the desk. "Have you talked to Jim about her?" he asked. "How has she managed to last in Starfleet this long?"

"She's a decorated officer, doctor," Spock interjected. "She was given the Award of Valor after single-handedly stopping invading Romulans from boarding the Luna. Without her, Starfleet most assuredly would have lost the Luna to Romulan forces."

"I have a hard time believing somebody that incompetent could save an entire starship," Bones chortled after taking a small sip from his drink.

"She is not-" Spock paused for a brief second, "-Just a pretty face, as you so put it, Mr. Scott. She exceeded at her time in Starfleet Academy and graduated at the top of her class. That is hardly a personality trait of an incompetent individual."

Scotty wolfed down his drink then smacked the empty glass back onto the doctor's desk. "Aye! But have you tried working with the lass? She has no gumption, no motivation! I've met rats with more enthusiasm than her!"

Bones stared at the drink he had poured for Spock knowing that the Vulcan wouldn't dare touch it. "Maybe she just needs a push in the right direction," he said.

"I agree with the doctor," a declaration the Vulcan would prefer not to admit, but not doing so would be petty and Vulcan's were not petty individuals.

"There's a first," the doctor responded exactly as Spock had expected he would. "Have you tried talking to her about it, Scotty?"

"Aye," Scotty shrugged, "certainly not without yelling."

Spock examined the chief engineer as he poured himself another drink. Alcohol was an unconventional sedative that humans often used to relax themselves in stressful situations. This was much to their detriment, as Spock had previously noted over the years on the Enterprise.

"Perhaps, a more logical approach is necessary," Spock suggested. "As the first officer aboard the Enterprise, the Lieutenant may be more responsive to my advice."

Bones took another sip from his drink, frowning at Mr. Spock. "That's not just it, is it?" he said.

"I am unsure as to what you are referring to, doctor," Spock claimed his ignorance.

"She's a Vulcan," Bones presented the science officer a coy smile.

"Half Vulcan," Spock corrected.

"Half Vulcan like yourself," Bones bobbed his head with his response. "A female half Vulcan? I can't blame you for being curious about her. It's hard to blame anyone for being interested in those green eyes and silk complexion. She's far from what you'd expect a Vulcan to look like without those pointed ears and slanted eyes."

"You have my motivations mistaken, doctor." Which was something the Vulcan was far too familiar with when it came to humans. "Mr. Scott has admitted that he is incapable of properly reprimanding the Lieutenant and as first officer, the burden now lies on me to take the correct course of action."

After gulping his second drink, Scotty's eyes drifted to the Vulcan. "Aye, well do what ye can," he said. "If you can make her show up for duty on time, I'll buy you half the whiskey in Scotland."

"Your sentiments are unnecessary, Mr. Scott," Spock replied. "I am simply doing my duty as first officer of the Enterprise."


	3. Half Human To Be

After messing around in the Jefferies tubes and getting yelled at by Mr. Scott, Lieutenant Warren retired to her quarters for the rest of the afternoon. To say the least, the past two months on the U.S.S. Enterprise had not gone how Captain Li had imagined it would for the Lieutenant, but it had gone exactly how Susanna suspected it would. The moment Warren reported for duty on the Enterprise, Mr. Scott immediately gave the young woman the stink eye and micromanaged her every step of the way. She couldn't so much as look at a console without first requesting permission from the chief engineer.

As she absently slouched at the electric keyboard in her quarters plucking at random keys, the buzzer to her room sounded. "Enter," she said.

The Vulcan first officer Mr. Spock entered the room, standing as stiff as a board as a proper military man should.

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" she stood at attention herself as a show of respect to her commanding officer.

"Shouldn't you be on duty?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid I may have upset Mr. Scott to no end," she shrugged. "So, I decided to stay out of his hair for the rest of the day."

"Mr. Scott is concerned about your performance in engineering," he explained. "And, rightfully so. You have only reported for duty on time once in your two months serving aboard the Enterprise and you have failed to report for duty without excuse twice."

"Yes, I know," she bowed her head. "I apologize."

"An apology is meaningless if no action is taken to correct it." Spock expected more from a Vulcan, but saying he was disappointed in her behavior would be an admission of such emotions he did not have. "If you do not self-correct, you will inevitably be removed from the Enterprise."

"Is that some sort of threat?" she narrowed her gaze on him.

"No, Vulcan's do not make threats. As a Vulcan, you should be well aware of this fact."

"Half Vulcan. And I was raised on Earth, not Vulcan. For obvious reasons," she said while pointing to her lack of Vulcan features.

"But your mother is a Vulcan, she certainly educated you about our kind," he assumed.

"Mr. Spock," Warren took a short step toward the man, "I haven't spoken to my mother in fifteen years. Or my father at that. They weren't the best parents, to say the least."

"I understand," something which Spock certainly did, considering the turmoil he had with his own father. "Nonetheless Lieutenant, what I said is not a threat but a statement of fact."

"I understand," the Lieutenant's tone dropped. "I will do better. For the Enterprise, for the crew, for you, Mr. Spock."

The conversation was not nearly as difficult as Spock had imagined given the amount of distress the woman caused the chief engineer. "Very well," he said.

Before leaving, Spock paused to stare at the electronic keyboard that rested across the Lieutenant's desk. "Fascinating instrument," he commented. "From the later twentieth century."

"It's a replica," the Lieutenant flippantly gestured at it. "It's almost impossible to get your hands on a real one."

"Do you know how to play it?" he wondered.

"Yes; been playing it since I was very young. Since I was four," she replied.

"It takes a great deal of patience and discipline to master a musical instrument," he noted. "It also takes a great deal of patience and discipline to excel at Starfleet academy. It begs one to question why you seem to lack the same discipline when it comes to being a Starfleet officer."

"Maybe I've come to realize-"

But before the Lieutenant could finish, lights began flashing through her room and Uhura's voice chimed in over the intercom, "Red Alert! All officers report to their stations! I repeat; Red Alert!"

An expression of concern consumed the Lieutenant's face; however, Spock remained ever stoic. "We'll save our conversation for another time. Report to your station, Lieutenant Warren," he said.

As the two exited the Lieutenant's quarters, they witnessed several fellow officers, who were in the hall next to her room, collapse to the ground.

Spock knelt down to examine one of the fallen red shirts. "She is in deep comatose," he noted.

"What on Earth is happening?" the Lieutenant added, staring at the unconscious bodies spread throughout the lengthy corridor.

"There is no time to discuss the matter," he said. "I must report to the bridge immediately."

"I'll report to engineering," and with that, Warren sprinted along the corridor to the turbolift with Spock closely following behind.


	4. A Distrust Of Men

When Spock arrived at the bridge, he quickly observed that only Chekov, Uhura, and the Captain remained conscious.

Captain Kirk shot up from his chair, spinning around to face Spock who had just entered. "Spock!" he spoke, elated. "I want a full scan on that anomaly!" Kirk pointed to the front of the ship were a sheer-metallic, cylindrical object could be seen on the viewscreen.

"Yes, Captain," Spock promptly complied and ran a scan on the foreign body. "Fascinating," he said, turning his head to the Captain. "There appears to be a humanoid figure contained within the structure."

Bewildered, Chekov stared unblinking at the bizarre object. "Is it a spaceship?" he asked.

"Incorrect, Ensign," Spock replied. "There are no propulsion systems present on the object; however, I have detected a series of life support systems from within. Whoever is in that craft, Captain, is currently alive."

Kirk shifted his wide eyes between Spock and the viewscreen. "Uhura," he called, "have you been able to make contact with the vessel?"

"No, Captain," she answered. "Trying on multiple frequencies, but still no response, sir."

Unsure of what to do, Chekov began devising his own theories, "Is this related to Akronians?"

The Captain shook his head, disagreeing, "Doubtful. But just to be safe; Uhura, contact sickbay and ask Bones if the Akronians can provide us with any information."

"Captain," Spock said, keeping his eyes on his science console, "I've scanned nearby planets to determine if any local bodies contained the same metal alloys found in our anomaly. Nera Five, a derelict colony planet, contains alloys identical to those found in the anomaly."

"Derelict, Spock?" Kirk asked.

Uhura interrupted the pair to inform the Captain on the Akronian's situation, "No answer from sickbay, Captain."

"The colony was wiped out nearly one century ago after a meteor impact to the planet's surface," Spock elaborated.

"And you're certain this vessel came from that planet?" the Captain asked.

"It would be the logical assumption, Captain," Spock confirmed, finally turning away from his console. "Perhaps the colonists of-"

Before Spock could complete his thought, an apparition of a young humanoid woman materialized at the helm of the ship. She was almost angelic in appearance, Kirk noted in his mind. Her hair was white and gleaming, reaching almost past her knees. Her eyes were a milky hue; it was impossible to detect the difference between her iris and cornea. And finally, and most notably, she was completely naked.

"Protect, protect," the creature spoke with a thin voice that echoed throughout the ship. "To protect, to protect."

"Protect…?" Kirk rose from the Captain's chair. "What do you mean to protect?"

As Kirk completed his question, the entire ship was engulfed in darkness and the apparition vanished.

"Report!" Kirk yelled at the bridge crew.

Spock's eyes darted across his console. "Complete loss of engine power and life support, Captain," he replied.

The Captain dropped into his chair and clicked at his intercom. "Kirk to engineering; Scotty, report."

After a brief moment, the voice of Lieutenant Warren came through the com, "Uh, well… Scotty isn't conscious right now, Captain."

"Are you currently in charge, Lieutenant?" Kirk demanded.

"Uh, well, yeah, I guess," was the Lieutenant's uneasy response. "It's just myself and Ensign Van."

"I need a report, Lieutenant."

"Uh, report?" she paused. "Well, Captain, it seems we've lost power to the engines and life support is gone."

"I am aware of that, Lieutenant," impatience was growing in the Captain's tone. "I want those engines back up and running, and life support back."

"I'm not sure if I can, sir," she replied.

Spock interjected, "Captain, I can report to engineering and assist the Lieutenant in getting engines and life support back online."

"No, Spock. I need you here on the bridge," Kirk raised his hand. "Lieutenant, I need you to get ship's engines and life support back online. That's an order, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain," was Warren's final response as she turned to Ensign Van. "Ensign, I need you to hotwire our ship."

Ensign Van, who appeared as nervous as the Lieutenant felt, stared blankly at his commanding officer. "Excuse me, ma'am?" he said. "I don't follow."

"Get to deck seven," Warren responded as she began guiding the Ensign to engineering's exit. "I need you to realign a few couplings and fuse some circuits."

"I don't know how to do that!" the Ensign cried. "I wouldn't know what to do down there!"

"Relax, Ensign," the Lieutenant gave the young man a confident smile. "I'll send you instructions on exactly what you need to do when you get there, okay?"

"Do you even know what you're doing?!" he questioned.

"Maybe?" the Lieutenant shrugged, releasing a jittery chuckle as she did so. "We have to do something, right?"

"I've never fused a circuit before… Not for real." The Ensign resisted the Lieutenant as she tried to shove him out of engineering. "Why can't you do it and I'll stay up here?"

Warren spun her head around engineering, glancing at the dozens of workstations and computers. "Do you know how to properly monitor and manage all of this equipment?" she asked.

"No," he admitted.

"Well, I do, Ensign." She nudged him forward once more. "It'll be okay; just do what I tell you and we'll get through this, alright?"

He vigorously nodded and bolted from engineering, making his way to deck seven.

It was only a couple of minutes before Captain Kirk's voice came ringing through the intercom into engineering. "Lieutenant?" he said. "I need life support three minutes ago."

As Warren floated across multiple consoles and stepped over an array of unconscious bodies, she frowned at the com. "Yes, Captain," she said. "Working on it. We should have life support and engines back any minute now."

"I need it right now," the Captain called back.

"Aye, Captain-" and the second she spoke, the engines hummed back to life and the whirring of the air recyclers could be heard all throughout the ship.

The Captain smiled, lifting his head to Chekov. "Report?" he asked.

"Power to engines and life support has been restored, Captain," Chekov beamed, swiveling in his chair to face the Captain.

"I knew she could do it," Kirk looked over to Spock.

Spock raised a single brow at his friend. "It seems that you had more faith in her than she did in herself," he replied.

"Great job, Lieutenant," Kirk spoke into the intercom.

"Uh, Captain," the Lieutenant began, anxiously, "Ensign Van isn't responding to any of my hails. I'm going to deck seven to check on him."

"No, Lieutenant. We need you in engineering until we've gotten to the bottom of this mystery."

"Aye, Captain-" and just then, the apparition that had previously appeared on the bridge manifested before Lieutenant Warren.

"No, I must protect," the naked woman spoke. "I must protect my planet."

"Uh, Captain," Warren leaned back to the com. "An unusual, naked woman has appeared in engineering from nowhere."

Kirk jumped from his chair, leaving Warren with one final message, "Keep her there, Lieutenant. Spock and I will report to engineering immediately."

When Spock and Kirk arrived at engineering, the ghostly apparition turned to them in horror. "Disgusting men," she snarled, "Terrible creatures. I must protect."

With knit brows, the Lieutenant gave her attention to the two men. "I guess she doesn't like you," she said.

"I tried to stop you all," the naked creature examined the fallen officers who laid prone throughout engineering. "My power is too weak; I must protect."

"Protect what?" Kirk inquired.

"No!" the woman snarled once more. "Disgusting creature!"

Warren stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. "Protect what?" she repeated Kirk's question.

The creature's fear softened and she offered the Lieutenant a forlorn expression. "I must protect my planet from the men; from the intruders!"

Kirk leaned his face closer to Spock and whispered in the Vulcan's ear, "Spock, can you explain?"

"The colony on Nera Five consisted of a race of humanoids known as the Hallonites," Spock recalled one of the few reports Starfleet had on that sector of space. "These creatures, all female in appearance, were able to maintain their population through asexual reproduction."

"Then where does this hatred of men stem from?" Kirk wondered.

The Lieutenant observed Spock and Kirk's whispering, figuring she should be the one to respond to the agitated being, "We come in peace; we mean no harm."

"Men mean harm," the naked woman shot daggers at the Lieutenant. "And you are here, with men! Do you also mean us harm?"

"No, of course not!" Warren defensively lifted her palms. "None of us mean you harm. This is the starship Enterprise and we are on a mission of peace."

Spock was intrigued by Warren's level of diplomacy and calmness in the face of the strange being. "She is correct," he spoke to the creature in an attempt to support his crewmate.

"Silence!" the woman hissed. "I will take this one and we will decide what to do with these men!"

Suddenly, the apparition vanished, and not long after the Lieutenant began disappearing as she was being beamed off the Enterprise.

"Uh, Captain?" Warren peered down at her vanishing arms.

"Lieutenant!" Kirk shouted as he leaped out to grab his crewmate, but by the time he reached her, he was met only by thin air.


	5. We Are Not Savages

Presently, Lieutenant Warren found herself inside a circular room approximately ten meters across that had a seemingly boundless ceiling and no doors from which one could leave or enter through. The gradient blue of the walls reminded the Lieutenant of the clear skies that could be found on her home planet. The floor of the room was painted in a headache-inducing fluorescent red, and positioned directly in the center of that floor was a large, flat, round pillow that was similar in color. And a top that pillow sat the same young woman that Warren previously met in engineering. However, this was no apparition, yet the physical body of the being Warren had just spoken to.

"Where am I?" Warren's eyes wandered around the room, albeit there was not much else to see.

"I protect," the crossed-legged woman responded. "Your ship of men must be destroyed; they must be stopped! Those most vile creatures are disgusting! Why is it you serve with them?"

"They're not disgusting," the Lieutenant approached the large pillow. "They're people like you and me."

"Who were the ones I saw twice before?" the naked woman recoiled at the thought. "They were with another female before. Is she in command? Are you in command?"

"You mean Mr. Spock and the Captain?" Warren surmised.

"Captain!" she spat. "Men can be no Captain! Disgusting creatures! How is this possible?!"

"Where I come from, uh- The Federation," Warren stammered, "Both men and women can hold positions of authority. There are also people who don't identify as female or male and they also hold positions of power."

"No female or male?" the thought angered the strange being. "That is senseless!"

"Not really," the Lieutenant lowered herself onto the pillow in front of the irrational creature. "Gender is really just a label; it doesn't define who you are. Where I come from, what you do defines who you are."

"But men, they are savage animals!" the woman shook her head, appearing to be confused by the Lieutenant's statement. "Are you a woman?"

"Well, yeah," Warren shrugged, "but that doesn't make me better or worse than anyone else."

"Where I come from; before my colony," the woman tapped at her own chest, "the men were savages, murderers, fiends. All they did was fight and argue, so we left to be without them. Our scientists could create children for us. We did not need the savages."

"It's a bit different where I come from. A long time ago you could easily argue that men did a lot of bad things, but we got better. Our men are not savages."

"They got better?" she questioned. "I do not understand."

"It's the way it is," the Lieutenant smiled. "We were all humans, all capable of mistakes, but all people nonetheless. We all found the goodness inside ourselves to be better."

"Your men will not come to destroy our planet?" a look a pity and sadness crossed the woman's face.

"Of course not," Warren answered, unaware of the cataclysm that had already struck Nera Five. "Like I said, we come in peace. We bring greetings to your people; no hostilities."

"We will return to your Captain and allow your ship to bring peaceful greetings to my planet," the woman stood, smiling for the first time and reached out her hand to the Lieutenant.

Aboard the Enterprise, Spock had scanned the anomaly once more and noted to the Captain that there were now two life forms aboard it.

"The Lieutenant?" Kirk asked.

"Logically," Spock replied.

"Can we beam her back aboard?"

"It may be unwise, Captain."

"Explain?" Kirk spoke as the tips of his fingers began digging into the side of the Captain's chair.

"Before the Lieutenant was beamed off the ship, the alien woman said that they will decide what to do with us," Spock explained. "Therefore, it may be unwise to transport the Lieutenant off the anomaly before negotiations have been made."

Chekov flipped away from his console, glaring at Spock. "Negotiations? And what if they decide we are to be destroyed?"

"Highly unlikely, Mr. Chekov," Spock dismissed the Ensign's illogical conclusion. "Lieutenant Warren is a loyal Starfleet officer. I am under the strong impression she will do what is best for the Enterprise and its crew."

Thoughtfully rubbing his bottom lip, the Captain gazed over to Spock at his console. "I hope you're right," he said. "It's up to the Lieutenant now."

"What if she never comes back, Captain?" Chekov started a new theory. "What if the other two-thirds of our crew don't wake up? Should we not just blast it with our phasers?"

Although he would not admit it, Spock took immediate offense to the Ensign's suggestion, "Have you forgotten that Lieutenant Warren is aboard that vessel and still alive?"

"If she never comes back, what difference does it make?" Chekov coldly replied.

Uhura stood up from her console, frowning at the young man. "It is our sworn duty to protect each other. We can't just abandon the Lieutenant, just as she wouldn't abandon us."

"Lieutenant Uhura is quite right," Spock added to the argument. "It is only logical that we wait for Lieutenant Warren's return."

"Aye, I know," Chekov dipped his head, realizing the foolishness of his statement. "You're right. Let us hope for the best, then."

As an old human saying once went, speak of the devil. The second Chekov finished talking, both Lieutenant Warren and the naked woman beamed onto the bridge of the Enterprise.


	6. Mistakes Have Been Made

As Lieutenant Warren and the alien woman appeared on the bridge, Uhura called for assistance, "Security to the bridge." Hopefully, there was someone left conscious who could respond.

Warren spun around the bridge, calling out to her crewmate, "It's alright! Uh- this uh- woman from Nera Five, has invited us to her planet."

"Mooranda," the naked woman presented the crew with a pleasant smile. "I will show you that I mean good as such as you do."

Mooranda tightly closed her eyes and a glittering light emerged from the surface of her skin. Once the glittering subsided, the unconscious crewmembers of the Enterprise awakened.

Both Spock and the Captain internally reflected on the impressive diplomacy Lieutenant Warren must have shown the Hallonite while the two were aboard her vessel. However, Spock came to a conclusion that the Captain initially did not. Neither Lieutenant Warren nor this Mooranda character was aware that Nera Five had been destroyed nearly a century ago.

Warren relaxed, turning her smile to the crew of the Enterprise. "She understands that we mean her people no harm," Warren said.

Spock, lifting a single brow, addressed the problem at hand, "I believe Mooranda has been absent from her colony for a time greater than from when it was destroyed."

"What?" the Lieutenant's eyes snapped to Spock.

"Nearly one century ago, a meteorite struck the colony planet," Spock said, readjusting his posture to fold his arms behind his back. "There were no survivors."

Everyone on the bridge could hear the labored breaths that began leaving Mooranda's twisted face. "You liar!" she jabbed a finger at Warren. "You said men were good; you said you were good! You destroy my planet and my people! How dare you lie!"

Kirk shot up from his chair. "That's not what he said," he tried to explain. "No humans had even entered this sector of space a hundred years ago."

However, his explanation was not enough to temper the distraught alien. "You will all pay!" Mooranda glared at Warren, a ball of bright light building up in her fist as she did so.

Warren reached out to the woman. "No- don't- it's okay," she pled.

Kirk wiped his head toward the two security officers who entered the bridge and gestured at the dangerous alien.

Before anyone could reach the officer, the burst of light flared from Mooranda's hand, entering Warren's chest and sending the Lieutenant tumbling onto the floor.

Spock, who was nearest to the Lieutenant, rushed to her aid.

The two security officers grabbed onto Mooranda who surprisingly did not resist. Instead, the woman crumpled in their arms and began sobbing uncontrollably. "What have I done?" she moaned.

Crouched next to Warren and holding her head in his lap, Spock looked up to the Captain. "She's dying," he said. "We need to get her to-"

An image appeared in Spock's mind, interrupting his train of thought. Within the image, Spock took note of a young couple, one was a Vulcan female and the other was a human male. The pair stood in front of a large lake, likely somewhere in Earth's northern hemisphere. There was an old human belief that one's life flashes before their eyes when they were faced with death. Warren, who was half Vulcan, logically had telepathic abilities such as Spock himself. Therefore, it made sense that this scene was unintentionally being projected to him by the Lieutenant.

Kirk bolted to the pair and stared into Spock's vacant eyes. "Spock?" he said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Captain," Spock responded as he lifted the Lieutenant up in his arms. "We need to get the Lieutenant to sickbay immediately."

Kirk offered a look of pity to the moping alien woman. "Take her to the brig, for now," he commanded.


	7. You Can Be Saved

When Spock and Kirk arrived in sickbay carrying the unconscious Lieutenant Warren, the deranged chief medical officer was attending to half-a-dozen patients with more on the way. "Nurse, I want this man treated for a severe concussion," he spoke to Christine who was also monitoring her own batch of patients.

Still in Spock's arms, the dreary eyed Lieutenant lifted her hand, reaching out to Ensign Van who was splayed out on one of the biobeds. "Thuy," the groggy words barely escaped her lips.

Kirk stepped forward, latching onto the sweating doctor's shoulder. "Bones!" he spoke above the chaos of the room.

"Can't you see I'm busy, Jim!" the doctor growled. "I wake up to find the ship in absolute chaos and dozens of injured officers waiting outside my door! What on Earth is going on here?!"

Taking initiative, Spock moved to a vacated biobed and placed the dying officer down. "Now is not the time to explain, doctor," Spock turned to Bones. "Lieutenant Warren is dying and needs immediate medical attention."

Those few choice words were all it took to change the doctor's expression from one of anger to deep concern. "What happened to her?" Bones jogged to the biobed and held onto the Lieutenant's arm.

Warren's weary eyes drifted open once more. "Ensign?" she spoke.

"No, Susanna," Bones replied. "It's me, Bones, the doctor."

Spock briefly studied the readings on the Ensign's biofunction monitor, discovering that Ensign Van was no longer with the crew of the Enterprise. "She was attacked by a beam of thermal energy," Spock answered Bones, understanding that now was not the time to inform the Lieutenant of Ensign Van's status. "May I remind you doctor that although she may not appear to be Vulcan, she does have the anatomy of one."

Bones offered Spock a wicked glare as he replied, "I'm well aware of the medical history of all the officers aboard this ship, Spock. Vulcan or not."

"Can you save her, doctor?" the Vulcan asked.

"I'm not sure," Bones lifted his eyes to the biofunction readings. "I won't know until I try."

Kirk wedged himself between his two friends, glancing down at the fading officer. "No time to argue about it," he interjected. "At least you've had plenty of practice on one particular Vulcan officer."

Spock raised his brow to the Captain. "Indeed," he said.

"At least it was all for something," Bones snarked. "Knowing that I can save this young, attractive woman makes all those years of performing medical duties on a cold, green-blooded alien worth it."

Kirk rolled his eyes at the doctor, moving his attention back to Spock, "I'm going to talk to this… Mooranda. Maybe it's not too late for her to do something."

Spock shuffled away from the doctor, allowing him space to give proper attention to the Lieutenant. "Based on the Hallonite's reaction, I find it unlikely she will be able to help the Lieutenant," he said to Kirk.

After listening to Spock, Kirk departed from sickbay and made his way to the brig where Mooranda was currently being held. When he arrived, he peered through the cell's energy field, noticing that the forlorn woman had curled herself tightly into a ball in the room's corner.

"Give us a minute," Kirk spoke to the guard.

Upon hearing Kirk's voice, Mooranda's teary face perked up. "Is the woman alive?" she wondered.

"Currently," Kirk responded while lowering himself to the ground to be on the same level as the depressed woman. "But she is dying."

"I should not have hurt her." Mooranda crawled on her hands and knees to face Kirk at the cell's forcefield. "But she must be strong to have survived. No being has ever survived it."

"She is more than just a human," Kirk acknowledged. "It may be enough to keep her alive, but if there is anything you can do-"

"-It is too late," Mooranda did not allow Kirk to finish. "The damage has been done. I can not reverse it."

"We did not destroy your planet," Kirk felt it was necessary that the woman understand. "It was an accident of nature. Something that could not have been prevented if your people did not know."

"I have been alone for a very long time," she continued to sniffle. "I was to protect from the men who come to threaten us. I had never met one until now. I did not understand you; I did not understand how to be."

"I am sorry… About your people."

"I was alone before and I am even more alone now." Her eyes fell down and she wept once more. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want," Kirk smiled. "The galaxy is a wondrous, adventurous- romantic place. You are only limited by your imagination."

"Where am I to go; what am I to do?" She rubbed at her wet face, attempting to compose herself.

"Well…" Kirk's brows lifted and his smile became brighter. "You can stay here on the Enterprise until we reach the next starbase. From there, it's up to you what you want to do with your life."

"Can I stay on this ship forever?!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"Starships are for Starfleet officers," his grin faded. "But if you want to become a Starfleet officer, you can train to become one."

"And then I can be on the ship forever?" her voice was flooded with hope and innocence.

"Perhaps," Kirk nodded. "Maybe one day."


	8. Can't Accept Your Grace

The first thing Lieutenant Warren saw through her blurry vision as she regained consciousness, was Spock's stony appearance. Behind him stood the doctor and behind the doctor stood Mr. Scott, and both of their faces lit up upon seeing the woman's emerald eyes.

"Where's Ensign-" Warren struggled to speak, straining her neck to get a better view of the vacant biobed she had seen Van laying on before she passed out, "-Ensign Van?"

Bones reached out and placed his palms on her shoulders, encouraging her to lay back down. "Don't worry about the Ensign now," he said. "You need to get more rest."

"I need to know what happened to the Ensign," she pushed the words out with a labored breath. "Please. Is he alright?"

Spock was fascinated by the woman's lack of self-preservation and her insistence on knowing the Ensign's condition despite her own. "Ensign Van did not make it," Spock saw it no longer necessary to hide this fact from the Lieutenant.

McCoy twisted his torso to berate the Vulcan, "Spock! Why on earth would you say such a thing?!"

"I see no point in hiding the truth from her, doctor," Spock justified his actions, but he was prepared for an argument with the neurotic medical officer nonetheless. "She wanted to know Ensign Van's condition. I simply stated the truth."

"It's called bedside manner, you cold-blooded Vulcan," Bones snapped, intentionally pushing himself forward into the Vulcan's personal space.

Warren couldn't care less about the bickering fools, only thinking about the Ensign. "Tell me what happened to the Ensign," she calmly asked.

McCoy leaned closer to the pale officer and answered, "He was found on deck seven near the Jefferies tubes; he had a heart attack."

"But how?" the Lieutenant tried to push herself upright again, but the doctor gently held her in place.

"He was electrocuted," Bones went on the explain, "But I'm afraid he wasn't found soon enough. We weren't able to resuscitate him."

"It was my fault," she replied, her shimmering eyes piercing the hearts of those three men, although one of them would never have admitted it. "I sent the Ensign to deck seven to realign some couplings and fuse some circuits, and he said he couldn't do it, and I told him he had to, and there was no one else around, and-"

"Susanna!" Bones brought her out of her ramblings. "You did what you had to and you did what was right; it wasn't your fault."

Spock watched tears drip from Lieutenant Warren's eyes. It was impossible to not sense the strength of her emotion; it was impossible to avoid feeling empathy for her. "Doctor McCoy is right," he supported Bones and pushed Warren's heartbreaking sadness away from his mind.

"I shouldn't have sent him," she reiterated.

Scotty stepped to the opposite side of the biobed and shared a look of pity with his officer. "Aye lass, you saved my ship," he said. "You may be one of the laziest, most frustrating, annoying-"

Spock raised a thoughtful brow at the chief engineer, interrupting him, "-If your intent is to make the Lieutenant feel better Mr. Scott, listing her failures as an officer is likely to further her current disposition."

"You're both terrible," Bones snarled. "My patient needs rest; I think it's about time you both leave before the two of you drain the will to live out of the poor woman."

However, Scotty couldn't leave without properly thanking the woman, "Aye, what I mean to say… What I mean to say is that I owe ye everything. You saved the Enterprise and her crew. I just wish you'd show some enthusiasm like that every day, lass."

"Alright, alright," Bones spoke as he began parading the two men out of sickbay, "I think that's enough."

Much to the doctor's frustration, Warren pushed herself up from the biobed to call out to the men, "Wait. What about Mooranda? Is she alright?"

Once again, Spock found it fascinating that the young woman seemed to care about everyone except herself. "Captain Kirk has spoken to her and the confusion in regards to our involvement with the destruction of the colony has been resolved," he answered.

With wide, concerned eyes, she said to Spock, "I know she didn't mean to hurt me. Don't punish her for what she did to me."

"I believe the Captain has come to the conclusion that the Hallonite woman meant us no harm," Spock's response relaxed the young Lieutenant. "She will stay with the Enterprise until we reach the next starbase."

A smile and a sigh came from the officer's mouth. "Good," she said.

Bones, who was further annoyed by the Vulcan's continuing conversation with the sick officer, physically shoved the Vulcan and Scotty through the door to sickbay. "Get some rest," he commanded Warren. "Everyone else will be okay. Thanks, Lieutenant. Thanks for everything you did."

Lieutenant Warren did not accept the doctor's gratitude, but she did follow his orders.

### End of Episode One


End file.
